K-3. Nathan Hopkins lives next door to his 100 year old grandfather and after school each day, Nathan goes over to visit him. While he's there, his granddad tells stories of long ago. They eventually plan an event where thet invite people of all ages to listen to Greatpaw's stories while they drink lemonade and enjoy chicken salad sandwiches. No one came to the club meetings so they decided to let everyone share their stories.

This book is about a grandfather who likes to tell stories to his grandson. He gets tired of telling the same stories so the grandson puts an ad in the paper to find his 100 year old grandfather a friend. A woman finds the ad, calls the grandson and they meet. The woman and the grandfather become best friends and share stories with all of the young children. This book made me think of my grandfather who used to tell me stories every night before bed. I am sure that alot of children can relate to this because of their grandparents. I really liked this book. ( )

The character of Grandpaw in the story is round and dynamic in the story. As we read the story we learn a lot about his life and his joys. We learn about his love for airplanes, how he met his wife and that he misses her a lot. He changes over the course of the book from telling all his stories, to not wanting to tell any more stories because he is discouraged, to finding another 100 year old who loves telling stories and he once again becomes a great story teller. He is a character which we are given the chance to see more than one side to him. We see him content, lonely, discouraged, hopeful, sad, and joyful. Throughout the book we learn about his character through his stories, his grandson’s narration, and the illustrations. This is a fantastic example of realistic fiction. It is set in present day and the plot and characters are extremely realistic. They are real people with believable emotions and responses to life events. They let the readers understand more about the need to be wanted and the need for companionship.
Art Media: water colors
Appropriate Age: Primary ( )